


Love like ghosts

by msOdds



Series: Nameless AU [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, FYI, Ghost Marriage, M/M, Red is dead, Starcrossed Lovers, alternative universe - no Pokemon, it's sad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-05-03 11:45:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14568333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msOdds/pseuds/msOdds
Summary: It crossed his mind that his grandfather was messing with him. It wouldn’t be the first time, gramps had a strange sense of humor. Perhaps he was sick of him living alone, and this was him subtly telling Green to hook up already. He searched his face, looking for any sign that he was indeed jesting. Oak was working diligently on his new report at the computer. He always brought work home with him.“A ghost marriage, Green.” He looked too serious for this to be an elaborate joke.Green wondered whether he’d accidentally inhaled some kind of fume at the lab, or if decades of stress had finally got to him and broken his brilliant, albeit eccentric, mind.Ghost marriage AU. A widow approaches Green’s grandfather with a strange proposal for his grandson’s hand in marriage with her dead son.





	Love like ghosts

**Author's Note:**

> It's a very angsty crack AU.

One evening, Oak asked him if he wants to be a dead man’s spouse.

They were in his study in Pallet. The elderly man had brought up that question out of nowhere, voice light and nonchalant like he was talking about the weather rather than asking his grandson to marry a corpse. Green put down the book he was reading.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?”

It crossed his mind that his grandfather was messing with him. It wouldn’t be the first time, gramps had a strange sense of humor. Perhaps he was sick of him living alone, and this was him subtly telling Green to hook up already. He searched his face, looking for any sign that he was indeed jesting. Oak was at the computer, working diligently on his new report. He always brought work home with him.

“A ghost marriage, Green.” He looked too serious for this to be an elaborate joke.

Green wondered whether he’d accidentally inhaled some kind of fume at the lab, or if decades of stress had finally got to him and broken his brilliant, albeit eccentric, mind.

A ghost marriage was an union in which one or both parties were deceased. It was something belonging to the past, but now and then stories still appeared. Rich families searched, and in some cases stole, corpse brides for their dead sons. Star-crossed lovers, whose lives were cut short before they could be together, were married to each other so they could reunite in death.

“I received a request for your hand in marriage.” Oh god. “Thought you should know.”

“Who is it?” Who had the gall to ask Oak such thing, and for Oak to actually consider it? _Must be a powerful family_ , he thought, more curious than mad.

“Mrs Hanako.”

The widow living down the street, hardly someone with the kind of money to do a ghost wedding.

“Her son passed away last week. His name is Red, do you remember him?”

“Should I?” Green frowned, that name didn’t ring any bell to him.He moved to Kalos when he was 10, this 'Red' had to be someone he knew from his childhood. Too bad Green couldn’t recall the first thing about his life in Pallet back then. He was 25. 15 years did a lot to a person’s memory.

 Oak sighed sadly. “I’m surprised you don’t. You two used to be inseparable.”

“How did he die?”

“There was an accident… it’s not my place to say. Anyway, if you agree, you’ll become his nonofficial husband. You’ll attend a wedding ceremony and all, but you’ll still be single on paper.”

What would a ghost wedding look like? Would it take place on a graveyard? Would he have to vow to a tombstone? Pour wine on a grave? How would he kiss the groom, exactly?

 _Morbid thought, Green._ He shivered.

“Why does she want me to marry her son?”

“She has her own reason. And before you say no…” Oak looked him dead in the eyes (HA, dead) and said: “… I want you to at least consider it. Hanako has gone through a lot in her life. Red meant everything to her… she is heartbroken that he had to die alone… and so young.” Oak rubbed his temples. “You can decline, it is up to you.”

With that, Oak began typing again. The report wouldn’t finish by itself. Green caught the hint that he didn’t want to talk about it anymore, and excused himself.

“I’m leaving, gramps!”

He had an apartment in Viridian. It used to be his and Daisy’s, but had become sorely his ever since his sister got married. She now lived with her husband in Cerulean. His grandfather lived in Pallet on his own, refusing to part with his precious lab. Every weekend, Green checked in on the old man to make sure he still knew how to take care of himself.

Green stopped on his track. To his right was mrs Hanako’s house, identical to gramps’ and any other houses in the neighborhood. He passed by this house all the time - passed by it this very morning - he never paid it any mind until now.

The light inside was still on.

Feeling like all the air had been squeezed out of his lungs, Green turned on his heels and walked bristly away.

* * *

“He wants you to do WHAT?” Leaf yelled.

Other teachers glared at them. _It’s too early for this shit_ \- their bleary eyes said. The staff at Indigo high school were exceptionally grumpy on Mondays, especially when they hadn’t had their coffee. She lowered her voice. “That’s… pretty messed up. I thought ghost marriage is just a myth."

Green didn’t answer, looking through his students’ homework which he’d neglected in favor of visiting gramps yesterday. Kris’ was brilliant as always, Lyra didn’t disappoint, Ethan’s handwriting was untranslatable, Silver’s work was… lackluster. The teenager had a lot of potential, but he never tried in Green’s class.

“Silver again, huh?” Leaf looked over. “He’s like that… yours isn’t the only class. He only takes Business seriously.”

“Why does the little twerp take French then?” He grumbled.

“Beat me… and don’t change the subject! Who’s the lucky, eh, unlucky guy?” Leaf pounded the table. She had got over the initial shock and was finding the idea of Green marrying funny. “My best friend is getting shackled up and I don’t even know his fiancé’s name!”

“His name is Red.”  _He isn't my_ _fiancé_ , he wanted to add, but didn't bother.

Leaf’s face visibly fell. She also grew up in Pallet but unlike Green, stayed there for most of her life.

“Do you know him?”

“Yeah, we went to high school together.” There was more, but she wasn’t going to tell him. She looked at him weirdly, the same way gramps had looked at him yesterday when he said he didn’t remember Red.

 


End file.
